Offshore

The very first time Grace Gilbert sets eyes on Sam Anderson, sparks fly. But Grace is a dedicated High School teacher and Sam is a dedicated slacker. Can he get her over her hangups and get into her pants?

Chapters:

One week later, JD was
back in school. He was walking with the aid of a crutch and
seemed happier and healthier than before his accident. He had a
little color in his cheeks, and he wasn't permanently hiding
behind his hair. Grace wondered if Shannon had something to do
with it. Maybe a woman's influence had worked this
transformation?

She deliberately hung
out in the parking lot after school to see who picked him up. It
was Shannon in Sam's car and she waved hello to Grace as she got
out and helped JD in. Why did she have to be beautiful and
nice?

To be polite, Grace
walked up to them.

"JD did well today," she
said and then making sure JD was too precoccupied with the car
radio to hear, added, "he seems happier."

Shannon smiled. "I think
he liked all the extra attention," she whispered
conspiratorially.

Grace couldn't help
asking, "are you going to be staying long?"

"I don't know, " said
Shannon, flicking her long hair behind her shoulders as two
seniors walked by gaping at her. "I should get back to my
business, but things are … a little complicated at the moment."
Her hand subconsciously went to her belly.

"Have you known Sam
long?" Grace was blushing at her own lack of self control. Why
couldn't she just leave it?

"Yeh. We met in
Australia a few years ago when we were both surfing the beaches
there."

"That must have been an
adventure," said Grace, wondering how she could possibly compete
with a cool, gorgeous daredevil like Shannon.

Shannon laughed, "I
guess we've both grown up a bit since then!" and a sad look
passed her face. "Big responsibilities and all that.." she said
trailing off and then abruptly added, "well, I'd better be
going," and she got in the car.

The next day it was Sam
who brought JD to school. Grace stood on the steps in front of
the main entrance and watched him help JD out of the car and hand
him his crutches. Even seeing him from a distance, her heart
started to thump and the all too familiar fluttering feeling
started up in her abdomen. He was wearing his customary faded T
Shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and upper back. The
jeans he had on seemed to be his most ancient pair, one of the
back pockets was hanging by a corner. Even so, he still could
have graced the pages of GQ he looked so handsome.

He didn't get in the car
and leave, as she had expected him to. Instead, he walked up the
path, a metre or so behind JD, hands in his pockets, brow
furrowed. When he reached her, he managed to smile, long lashes
fringing his tired eyes.

"Can I talk to you about
something Grace?" he said in a husky voice.

The fact that he had
said her name like that gave her goosebumps all the way down her
arms. She took a deep breath and led him inside to one of the
empty offices in the administration area.

Grace leaned on the
table, arms folded as if to protect herself. Sam declined her
offer of a seat and shuffled uncomfortably instead.

"If JD and I move away
somewhere else," he eventually said. "How would that work with
school and everything?" and he looked up and stared straight into
her eyes, an unreadable expression on his face.

Grace desperately tried
to keep her own expression neutral but inside she was breaking.
She thanked the lord she was already leaning on something and had
her arms folded. It meant she could hold herself together,
literally.

"When are you going?"
she managed to say.

"It's not definite yet,
but I'm considering moving to Bakersfield," he
said.

Of course he was. He was
going to stand by Shannon and bring up their child. Then she
remembered she wasn't supposed to know about the baby. She had
every right to ask why he was moving there, but she couldn't
bring herself to do it. She couldn't face hearing him say it,
confirm the pregnancy, totally shatter her.

"What about the surf
shop? Your house?"

He ran his hand over his
cropped hair and said quietly, "It's an impossible situation.
I've known Shannon a long time. She needs my help."

"Can't she move here?"
Grace knew this conversation was seriously crossing the normal
boundaries of a Parent Teacher conference, but Sam looked like he
needed to talk to a friend, not a stuffy home room
teacher.

"There are reasons she
needs to stay in Bakersfield, at least for a
while."

"It might be too much
disruption for JD," she said truthfully.

"I know, but he really
likes Shannon and she's really good with him."

Grace's stomach clenched
with a jolt of jealousy. She decided to return to being the
stuffy homeroom teacher, for self defense rather than anything
else.

"If you do move," she
said, "we could help JD find another school and transfer all his
records. It shouldn't be much of a problem."

Sam stared at her
blankly, and then said in a flat voice, "OK. Well that's one
weight off my shoulders," and then he abruptly turned and walked
out of the small room, leaving the door open. Grace followed him
and watched him walk away from her. He didn't turn back
once.

Sam stalked to his car,
so angry and upset he could barely get the door open. What had he
expected? He hadn't exactly expected her to fall on her knees and
beg him to stay, but a little emotion would have been nice. It
would have been nice to see she didn't want him to go, that she
might miss him. He was an idiot. Grace Gilbert wasn't interested
in him.